The present invention relates to fiber optic circuits and modules for fiber optic equipment, and more specifically to a system and method for programming and controlling a fiber optic circuit and module with a switch.
The telecommunications and data transmission industries are rapidly expanding their development of fiber optic transmission systems. Historically, telecommunications signals and data have been transmitted over wire lines such as twisted pair or coaxial cables. In order to accommodate higher signal rate speeds, the industry is turning to increased use of fiber optic cables as the transmission medium.
As the use of fiber optic cables increases, the need for peripheral equipment has increased. For example, it is desirable to have access to a fiber optic line for the purpose of either re-routing the line in the event of damage to the line or to have access to the line for the purposes of monitoring or testing the line.
Fiber optic peripheral equipment for cable management, cable storage, and connection capabilities are well known. The use of modular fiber optic connector modules is known for performing so-called cross-connect applications. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,432,875 and 5,363,465 to ADC Telecommunications, Inc. concern fiber optic connector modules and chassis designs for receiving the modules in cross-connect applications. There is a continuing need for fiber optic circuits and systems which provide optical signal routing, monitoring, and access capabilities. In addition, a continuing need to automatically configure these circuits and systems to allow efficient configuration of these circuits as needed to assist in providing the optical signal routing, monitoring, and access capabilities.
The present invention includes a system and method for programming and configuring an optical circuit where the optical circuit connects fiber optic cables and/or equipment, including one or more switches in the optical circuit for changing the optical signal paths of the circuit. The switch or switches can be used to selectively link the optical signal paths to access terminals, such as for signal testing, monitoring or re-routing. The optical circuit may allow for one or more of the following functions for signals passing through the circuit: passing through of the signals, non-intrusive monitoring of the signals, looping back of the signals between the transmit and receive terminals, and replacing the signals using test equipment, such as in combination with test equipment.
In accordance with the invention, one embodiment includes a computer controlled system for programming and controlling a fiber optic circuit. The system includes a plurality of signal connection modules for providing monitoring access to circuit signals, a signal switching network for connecting the signal connection modules to test equipment, and a master controller module for receiving commands from a remote computing system and for configuring the operation of the signal connection modules and the signal switching network. The master controller module comprises a plurality of connection tables, the connection tables contain information for transmitting commands to the signal connection modules and the signal switching network to configure a circuit corresponding to a command received from the remote computing system.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a computer controlled method for programming and controlling a fiber optic circuit. The fiber optic circuit includes a plurality of signal connection modules, a signal switching network, and a master controller module. The method receiving a circuit configuration command from a remote computing system, retrieving a connection table containing data entries used to specify how the signal connection modules and the signal switching network are to be configured, constructing a module configuration command for each data entry retrieved from the connection table and transmitting the module configuration command to the corresponding module to configure the fiber optic circuit.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a computer data product readable by a computing system and encoding instructions for implementing a computer method for programming and controlling a fiber optic circuit the fiber optic circuit comprises a plurality of signal connection modules, a signal switching network, and a master controller module. The fiber optic circuit includes a plurality of signal connection modules, a signal switching network, and a master controller module. The method receiving a circuit configuration command from a remote computing system, retrieving a connection table containing data entries used to specify how the signal connection modules and the signal switching network are to be configured, constructing a module configuration command for each data entry retrieved from the connection table and transmitting the module configuration command to the corresponding module to configure the fiber optic circuit.
The circuits of the present invention may be used in a variety of applications, such as for looping back of signals, or for splitting signals in combination with test equipment.